Device for correlating the staff with the keyboard of pianos



May 13, i936? H. D. HOFFMEJSTER 1,758,043

DEVICE FOR CORRELATING THE STAFF WITH THE KEYBOARD OF PIANOS Filed Oct. 3, 1927 a a INVZNTZR.

B Y I 0 NEYS.

Patented May 13, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR CORRELATING THE STAFF WITH THE KEYBOARD OF PIANOS Application filed October 3, 1927. Serial No. 223,566.

My invention relates to a keyboard staff chart 011 which is represented the bass and treble staves and which is adapted to be placed upon the keyboard of a piano or organ 5 with extensions therefrom to overlie keys corresponding to the lines or positions on said staves whereby to so relate said keys and said staff positions that to see one Is to see the other.

In illustrating my invention, I have shown the representations of the bass and treble staves with the lines represented as extended to the corresponding keys of a keyboard, and have shown extensions which are adapted to be placed over the keys corresponding to said lines, respectively. It will be understood, of course, that the representation of the staves can be made upon cardboard or other material and made foldable in the middle, and that the extensions can be of ribbon like material and extended from said cardboard to the keys of the keyboard in such a way that they are thus physically connected by means of said extensions with the dilferent and corresponding positions on said staves.

Referring to the drawings used to illustrate one embodiment of my invention Figure 1 is a plan view of a device embodying my invention; and

Figure 2 is a perspective View showing the device placed upon a keyboard with the extensions placed over the respective keys corresponding to the lines of the staves.

In the drawings, 3 and 4 designate two portions of a keyboard stalf chart, of cardboard or other suitable material, preferably foldable at the middle, as at 5, the left hand end thereof representing the bass clef, designated 6, and the right hand end thereof representing the treble clef, designated 7 Each staff has the regular five lines and these are represented as extended beyond said chart or card, said extensions being designated g, 6, cl, f, a, C, e, g, b, d, f, thus coryrespending to the keys of. the keyboard to which they extend, as shown in Fig. 2, and which they overlie. Middle C is shown shorter than the other extensions and is at the fold 5 of said chart or card. Said chart is placed upon the keyboard in the manner indicated in said Fig. 2, with the short extension C, in register or alinement with middle C of the keyboard. This extension for middle C is made short to correspond with the short line on which middle G is written between the staves. It will be noted also that the line at the middle C position is a short line, as well as the extension C. The card or chart is of such size corresponding to the keys of a keyboard that the other exten- 6U sions register or fall in alinement with the corresponding keys of the keyboard, as shown. The first or lower line of the treble staff being 6 extends to and overlies the e key, and so on, as will be clear from the showing on the drawings.

The ends of the extensions may be hooked over the outer ends of the keys and to this end may be provided with hooks or made for this P purpose, as at g, b, d, 7, a, C, e, g, b, d and f, in Fig. 2 of said drawings.

I do not limit my invention to the details of construction and arrangement here shown for illustrative purposes, except as I may be limited by the hereto appended claims.

I claim:

1. A keyboard staff chart having thereon the representation of the bass and treble staves and adapted to be set edgewise upon the keyboard of an actual piano, and exten- 8O sions from the lines of said staves to the corresponding keys of the keyboard, whereby said extensions connect said keys to the corresponding parts of the staves.

2. A keyboard staff chart having thereon the representation of the bass and treble staves and adapted to be placed edgewise upon the keyboard of an actual piano, and extensions from the lines of said staves to the corresponding keys of the keyboard, the extension for middle C position being differentiated from the other extensions, whereby to be readily placed in register with middle G of the keyboard.

3. A device for correlating the positions for notes on a staff with the corresponding keys of a piano keyboard and including a representation of a staff with line extensions from said positions on said stafl to be extended at angles to and over the corresponding keys of the keyboard, said device being adapted to be placed over said keyboard.

4. In a device of the character referred to, a foldable member adapted to be placed edge- Wise upon a keyboard and having thereon the representation of the bass and treble staves the lines of said staves being extended in the form of ribbon like extensions and adapted to overlie the keys of the keyboard 10 corresponding thereto respectively, and

means for detachably connecting said extensions to said keys, the extension from the middle C position being differentiated from the other extensions to facilitate the proper positioning of said device upon the keyboard.

Signed at Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, this 23rd day of September, 1927 so HALESIA D. HOFFMEISTER. 

